Human-centered approach and Regulatory Dimension in Developing an Interoperable and Secure Cyberspace – HARD DISC

Funding details and duration of the project

Funder: Project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3 – Cascade Call related to the Program “Security Rights in Cyber Space – SERICS – Spoke 1” funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU

Award Number: Cascade Call related to the Program “Security Rights in Cyber Space – SERICS – Spoke 1” PE0000014, CUP B53C22003950001;

Start date: 30/04/2024

End date: 30/04/2026

Total NRRP funding for the cascade call: € 2.763.928,37

Total NRRP funding for Unipr: € 324.619,50

Description of the project

Objectives

SERICS project aims to create a compelling and secure Cyberspace by integrating technological systems with robust regulation. To complement the activities of Spoke 1, an economically viable national impact research is proposed which, starting from the reconstruction of the regulatory context, identifies the main legal, social and ethical problems of cybersecurity in the public and private sectors. Promoting knowledge related to the protection of fundamental rights in cyberspace, the research will analyse: risk regulation (t. 1.4), trust and disinformation (t. 1.5), health (t. 2.5), intellectual property and insurance instruments (t. 2.6). A technical report will be produced for each task. It will then focus on the development of innovative cybersecurity training modules and a document on cybercompliance for PAs and SMEs (tt. 3.3; 3.4). Finally, the topic of cybercrime will be addressed, through the study and preparation of innovative reports on digital criminology (t. 4.3) and digital forensics (t. 4.4).

Activities

The overarching project goal is to create a compelling and secure Cyberspace by integrating technological systems with robust regulation. It addresses legal, ethical, and educational aspects of cybersecurity, explores cybercrime and diplomacy, and emphasizes digital sovereignty. Also, the aim of the project is to investigate the issue of cybersecurity in different areas of the legal system, where the fundamental rights of the individual are at stake, in the awareness that the digital dimension tends to overlap with the physical one, with the consequence that the ordinary tools to guarantee the bond of trust, between citizen and authority, are less effective. In particular, the aim is to identify the main legal, social and ethical issues related to cybersecurity and to proceed, following a de iure condito analysis, to de iure condendo reflections for the implementation of tools to guarantee cybersecurity. The project also aims to identify new teaching and knowledge methods related to the protection of rights in cyberspace.

Role of the University of Parma in the project

The University of Parma will study cybersecurity regulations in Europe and Italy to assess their impact on the relationship between healthcare facilities and patients (task 2.5). In fact, digitisation in public health poses urgent ethical and legal challenges, such as an appropriate balance between research and individual protection needs. Specifically, cyber attacks against public health facilities have recently multiplied, as stated in the EU Cybersecurity Strategy for the Digital Decade and the 'NIS2' directive, which qualifies the health sector as one of the highly critical sectors. Therefore, the Unit aims to prepare a technical report to analyse the legal framework for cybersecurity of medical devices, in order to review the relationship between the individual and public digital health and to train practitioners on the ethical implications of digital automation (ethical cybersecurity preparedness), as well as to increase public trust (trusted AI).

Departments of the University of Parma involved in the project

Department of Law Politics and International Studies
Department of Medicine and Surgery
Department of Engineering and Architecture
University Center for Bioethics

Expected results

The aim of the programme is to investigate legal and technical issues in the field of cybersecurity and network security. This research stems from the realisation that, in contemporary societies, knowledge of such topics can no longer be the exclusive preserve of insiders. For this reason, it is intended to disseminate the results of the project, producing tools and solutions that are repeatable and adaptable to the continuous evolution of the subject, and that can be widely disseminated at territorial level. The aim is to strengthen resilience in the public and private sectors in the area of cyber security, thus contributing to its implementation with reference to the entire country system.

In this sense, the dissemination of the results of the research activity is first and foremost emphasised, through the production of reports, technical reports, scientific productions and other documents for the various reference areas, with the intention of rationalising standards and best practices in the sector.